PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder A psychiatric disorder in which occurs after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening experience
Examples: War, sexual assault, car accidents, terrorist situations and natural-disasters
About 7.8% of Americans will experience PTSD sometime during their lives
Women are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD
* PTSD untreated can only worsen and has been known to lead to alcohol & drug abuse
How long can it take for PTSD to present itself?
The 4 main symptoms of PTSD:
-Reliving the event: Experiencing flashbacks when a situation triggers the traumatic memory
-Avoiding situations that remind one of the event: Blocking out thoughts and discussion of the event in order to prevent flashbacks
-Feeling numb: Failing to express positive feelings towards others, keeping to themselves and no longer participating in past hobbies
-Feeling keyed up (paranoid): Always feeling on guard, sudden anger, fearing for safety and trouble sleeping
- For most people, including Veterans, PTSD tends to occur about three months after the traumatic experience
- However, PTSD can occur at any given time, ranging from directly after the incident to years later
What Triggers PTSD?
Triggers are categorized in two forms:
1.) Internal Triggers: Thoughts or memories, emotions, and bodily sensations -Anger -Anxiety -Racing heartbeat -Muscle tension
2.) External Triggers: Situations, people, or places that you might encounter throughout your day -Seeing a person that is connected to the traumatic event -Certain smells -Argument -Car accidents
US government contribution to PTSD and what they have done to help:
1 in 5 US combat veterans suffers/have suffered from PTSD
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)- National Center for PTSD
-Provide benefits to almost all Veterans suffering from military-caused PTSD, in which has affected their ability to work
Benefits include:
- tax-free cash payments
- free/low-cost mental health treatment
-Rehab services
- Assistance with employment
Offer 200 PTSD treatment programs- & Although the government offers copious amounts of PTSD treatment services, there is little they can do in hope of preventing it http://www.youtube.com/user/VeteransMTC?v=SqjwV-lsVEs
What was PTSD called before?
Throughout the years, before the name was PTSD was established, there were about 80 different names given. Here are a few:
-Nostalgia: Used in 1678, this diagnosis was used to describe the disease of Swiss soldiers. According to Austrian physician Josef Leopold Auenbrugger, their symptoms consisted of becoming sad than finally not paying attention and almost losing interest in the maintenance of life. The soldiers would be full of sighs and moans. Doctors claimed that this was most common from soldiers who came from rural areas.
-Homesickness: During the same time, German soldiers were calling the same symptoms homesickness.
-Soldier’s Heart/ Irritable Heart: This diagnosis was found from Civil War veterans in the United States. Symptoms were anxiety, shortness of breath and chest-thumping.
-Neurasthenia/Hysteria: Terms used to explain people with excessive nervousness.
-Shell Shock: This is the most common term for PTSD, beginning all the way from WW1.
How was it treated?
There was no real treatment for this condition. Doctors claimed listening to music and exercising regularly could help treat the many symptoms. Soldiers and people struggling with PTSD are usually self medicated. Most people turned to alcohol, becoming alcoholics
How Is PTSD Treated?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy- looking at the accident in a realistic way
Medicines called SSRIs (the most effective for PTSD) helps the person feel more in control of their emotions but there will still be some bad memories.Psychotherapy (talk therapy) sessions one session per week for 6-12 weeks but can take more or less time
The DFA approved of two antidepressants; Sertraline (Zoloft) and Paroxetine (Paxil)
Ecstasy is a drug that has recently been used to treat those who suffer from PTSD
New research shows that PTSD effects the body, and can lead to many other ailments, such as one area of the brain that's affected by PTSD is called the hippocampus. It looks like a little jelly roll and is responsible for memory
circulatory disease
musculoskeletal diseases
hypertensive conditions
Physical Illness Tied to PTSD Chart
More research has been put into finding ways to use medicine to help weaken the distressing emotional cause of the memories
Being in a highly stressful environment can cause personality changes
There are more cases but people are reluctant to getting help because they believe their peers will look at them differently
Research is being done at Western University on finding a way to block traumatic memories by stimulating the D1 receptor in a specific area of the brain
If research is a success then there will eventually be a drug used to successfully treat PTSD
- Confuse the order of events in the trauma -Often believe there were signs that the trauma was going to happen -May show signs of trauma in play -Forgetting how to, or being unable to talk -Bedwetting in younger children -Easily startled
Treatment
-Play therapy: Used to treat young children with PTSD who are not able to deal with the trauma more directly -Ex: games, drawings, and other methods to help children process their traumatic memories.
3 Main Points: 1. PTSD can affect anybody at any age- and can occur at any point after their traumatic experience 2. Although there is no legitimate cure for PTSD, there are so many medicines and therapy methods in which people can cope with it 3. PTSD affects children very differentthan adults
A psychiatric disorder in which occurs after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening experience
- Examples: War, sexual assault, car accidents, terrorist situations and natural-disasters
- About 7.8% of Americans will experience PTSD sometime during their lives
- Women are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD
How long can it take for PTSD to present itself?* PTSD untreated can only worsen and has been known to lead to alcohol & drug abuse
-Reliving the event: Experiencing flashbacks when a situation triggers the traumatic memory
-Avoiding situations that remind one of the event: Blocking out thoughts and discussion of the event in order to prevent flashbacks
-Feeling numb: Failing to express positive feelings towards others, keeping to themselves and no longer participating in past hobbies
-Feeling keyed up (paranoid): Always feeling on guard, sudden anger, fearing for safety and trouble sleeping
- For most people, including Veterans, PTSD tends to occur about three months after the traumatic experience
- However, PTSD can occur at any given time, ranging from directly after the incident to years later
What Triggers PTSD?
- Triggers are categorized in two forms:
1.) Internal Triggers: Thoughts or memories, emotions, and bodily sensations-Anger
-Anxiety
-Racing heartbeat
-Muscle tension
2.) External Triggers: Situations, people, or places that you might encounter throughout your day
-Seeing a person that is connected to the traumatic event
-Certain smells
-Argument
-Car accidents
US government contribution to PTSD and what they have done to help:
-Provide benefits to almost all Veterans suffering from military-caused PTSD, in which has affected their ability to work
Benefits include:
- tax-free cash payments
- free/low-cost mental health treatment
-Rehab services
- Assistance with employment
http://www.youtube.com/user/VeteransMTC?v=SqjwV-lsVEs
What was PTSD called before?
- Throughout the years, before the name was PTSD was established, there were about 80 different names given. Here are a few:
How was it treated?-Nostalgia: Used in 1678, this diagnosis was used to describe the disease of Swiss soldiers. According to Austrian physician Josef Leopold Auenbrugger, their symptoms consisted of becoming sad than finally not paying attention and almost losing interest in the maintenance of life. The soldiers would be full of sighs and moans. Doctors claimed that this was most common from soldiers who came from rural areas.
-Homesickness: During the same time, German soldiers were calling the same symptoms homesickness.
-Soldier’s Heart/ Irritable Heart: This diagnosis was found from Civil War veterans in the United States. Symptoms were anxiety, shortness of breath and chest-thumping.
-Neurasthenia/Hysteria: Terms used to explain people with excessive nervousness.
-Shell Shock: This is the most common term for PTSD, beginning all the way from WW1.
How Is PTSD Treated?
What New Research has been Found for PTSD?
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=8195843
How is PTSD Different in Children?
- Causes of PTSD in Children
-65% neglect-18% physical abuse
-10% sexual abuse
-7% psychological (mental) abuse
- Children’s Symptoms
- Confuse the order of events in the trauma-Often believe there were signs that the trauma was going to happen
-May show signs of trauma in play
-Forgetting how to, or being unable to talk
-Bedwetting in younger children
-Easily startled
- Treatment
-Play therapy: Used to treat young children with PTSD who are not able to deal with the trauma more directly-Ex: games, drawings, and other methods to help children process their traumatic memories.
3 Main Points:
1. PTSD can affect anybody at any age- and can occur at any point after their traumatic experience
2. Although there is no legitimate cure for PTSD, there are so many medicines and therapy methods in which people can cope with it
3. PTSD affects children very differentthan adults
Sources: http://www.alternet.org/story/151263/ecstasy_as_treatment_for_ptsd_from_sexual_trauma_and_war_new_research_shows_very_promising_re
sults
http://www.disabilitylawclaims.com/blog/study-ties-ptsd-to-other-diseases.cfm
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/complete-index.shtml
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/tc/post-traumatic-stress-disorder--symptoms
http://io9.com/5898560/from-irritable-heart-to-shellshock-how-post+traumatic-stress-became-a-disease
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/
http://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/research/ptsd_home.aspx
http://www.army.mil/article/81916/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205121149.htm
http://www.brainlinemilitary.org/content/2008/07/ptsd-fact-sheet-frequently-asked-questions.html?gclid=CIaDhLSo7bQCFUid4AoduHUABg
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsd-children-adolescents.asp